The “Assessment” purports to alert law enforcement officials that “rightwing extremists” — the term is used more than 35 times — are intent on exploiting Americans who have strongly held beliefs on everything from Christian faith to rising unemployment, U.S. sovereignty and the 2nd Amendment. It vilifies those of us in these categories by

references to neo-Nazis, racists, militias, white-supremacists, and other “hate groups.” Notably, the report includes a warning that Rightwing Extremism “may include groups or individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

Though the report proffers a passing reference to the First Amendment, it is replete with bias against conservative thought, writing and communications. On page 3, law enforcement authorities are warned, “Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived (emphasis added) loss of U.S. jobs in the

manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures.”

This is a frightening acknowledgement that political speech is being monitored in America. It is also wrong. It’s not “perception.” It is fact. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing and construction sectors have lost 161,000 jobs and 126,000 jobs, respectively, in the last month alone.

In its “Key Findings” the DHS manuscript boldly charges “rightwing

extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues” and warns that “The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists

capable of carrying out violent attacks.”

Under the heading “Disgruntled Military Veterans” the report alleges,

“rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists — including lone wolves or small terrorist cells — to carry out violence.” These unsubstantiated

claims are followed by reminders that Timothy McVeigh — the 1995 Oklahoma

City bomber — was a military veteran. Omitted is any reference to the fact that McVeigh was simply one of more than 40 million law abiding veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Thirteen lines after this egregious, unconscionable slander against

those of us who are military combat veterans, DHS makes the stunning

charge that, “lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent

rightwing extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism

threat in the United States.”

According to this DHS “Assessment,” the most dangerous threat we face

here at home isn’t from radical imams preaching violence in U.S. mosques

and madrassas, Islamists recruiting in our prisons, Somali terrorists

enticing young immigrants to become suicide bombers or Hamas, Hezbollah or